Chairs with backs comprising a mesh supporting surface forming a yieldable resilient surface that deforms when sat on have been previously known. It is believed that such structures provide the chair with greater comfort than chairs having backs or seats of a solid construction. One example of a mesh-type chair is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,368 to Stumpf et al.
Because the mesh used to cover seats and seat backs has been made of a single expanse of fabric stretched across a frame, seats and seat backs made from mesh have been limited to being substantially flat. A flat seat and back rest geometry, however, does not provide the user with the appropriate and adequate ergonomic support that a chair needs to provide. For instance, heretofore, mesh back rests have not provided users with lumbar support without the addition of some type of solid support structure. Similarly, heretofore, mesh seats have not provided users with a seat front that tapers down, commonly referred to as a waterfall, without the addition of some type of solid support structure. (See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,784 to Bosman, et al.) Consequently, chair manufacturers have not previously been able to provide the benefits of a mesh seat, arm rest, head rest, or back rest in a chair that provides the user with the appropriate ergonomic support.
The missing ergonomic support in conventional mesh chairs is recognized, but attempts to solve the problem have centered on providing a solid structural component. For example, there is a product sold separately (under the name PostureFit™) to add lumbar support structure to the chair described in the Stumpf et al. '638 patent.
The lack of appropriate ergonomic support in conventional mesh chairs is further illustrated by their inability to provide adequate support to the various shapes of users' bodies because of the uncontrolled stretch ability of the mesh. Mesh chairs were believed to provide superior comfort arising from the ability of the mesh to stretch to conform to the shape of the user's body. Such belief failed to recognize, however, that the uncontrolled stretch of the mesh also conformed to unhealthy seating conformations arising from, for example, poor posture, and failed to provide beneficial support where necessary, such as the lumbar area.
In the non-analogous dressmaking art, it is known to use darts, eases, and other assists in order to create contours. Such contours are coordinated with the seam lines. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,565 to Bush describes such arrangements. However, until now, it has not been known that darts, eases and other assists could be employed to obtain desirable and beneficial contours in a mesh chair component.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a chair having a mesh support surface where the mesh has a contour that adapts to the user's body. It would be further advantageous to provide such a chair in coordination with a contoured frame for the relevant portion of the chair.